Is Proposed Bill Good or Bad for Prospective Immigrants?

By
Ashley Foret Dees Immigration Law
|December 04, 2015

Recently, a bill was introduced that could drastically impact the ability
of foreign workers to immigrate to the United States. Introduced by Senate
Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, and Democrat Senator Dick Durbin, this
“H1-B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2015” seeks to force U.S.
companies to try to hire domestic workers before they can sponsor an immigrant worker.

What Does This Bill Aim to Accomplish?

According to the authors of the bill, Grassey and Durbin, the primary goal
is to limit abuse of the current H-1B visa system. H-1B visas are intended
for highly knowledgeable and educated specialty workers, including doctors,
engineers, and attorneys, and are typically capped at 65,000 (with some
exceptions). Unfortunately there have been numerous examples of companies
abusing the system, and bringing in workers with B-1 business visas to
perform H-1B type of work.

If this bill passes, it could cause serious issues for the tech industry,
which relies heavily on highly skilled foreign workers. It would also
give priority to those who have been educated in the United States, making
it even more difficult for other valid applicants to get an H-1B visa.

Why Are Immigration Groups In Favor of This Bill?

Despite the aforementioned problems, this bill would actually yield some
tremendous benefits for those who are able to get an H1-B visa. One of
the biggest problems with the current system is that workers are essentially
tied to the specific employer that sponsored their application. This restricts
these workers’ ability to seek fair or competitive compensation,
as well as their ability to seek a new job.

The new bill would seek to change this by putting the paperwork in the
hands of the immigrants themselves, rather than the employers who sponsor
them. This would make it far easier for these individuals to be paid fairly,
and to gain new employment if they so desire.

When Will These Changes Take Effect?

The bill was just introduced into Congress, so it will likely be months,
if not years, before any changes would begin to be made. For better or
for worse, numerous recent attempts at reforming immigration policy have
failed to gain any real traction. However, the sponsors of the bill are
senior figures, so things may be different this time around.

Our Lake Charles immigration attorneys are committed to helping people
achieve their goals. If you’re dealing with an immigration matter,
call (337) 214-0670.

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